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Letters from businesses protesting EHT sent to Finance Minister
Thank you to everyone who contributed to our letter-writing campaign protesting the EHT execution. We had over 60 business leaders submit letters asking the provincial government to change the Employer Health Tax fair and make it fair for business.
The letters have now been submitted to BC Finance Minister Carole James along with this letter.
That being said, we want to hear from you and add your voice to this issue.
Download the letter here
, fill out the fields and email to
communications@victoriachamber.ca
. We'll continue to collect letters as part of our ongoing advocacy for changes to the Employer Health Tax proposed by the province and scheduled to be implemented in 2019.
You can read about changes we're proposing here.
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Dark & Strong European Beer |
3rd place - Black Lager, Spinnakers Brewpub |
Smoke & Wood Aged Beer |
3rd place - Parting Kiss Bourbon Barrel Ale, Twa Dogs Brewery |
North American Amber & Brown Ale |
2nd place - Side Project Amber Lager, Category 12 Brewing |
Saison |
2nd place - Mistress of My Soul Saison, Twa Dogs Brewery |
See the full list of winners here.
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Spinnakers Brewpub: member since 1990
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Twa Dogs Brewery: member since 2013
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Category 12 Brewing: member since 2016
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SEMINAR: So, what is proportional representation?
Do you support traditional first-past-the-post?
Or are you looking for change at the ballot level?
The current provincial referendum on proportional representation will shape how our provincial government is formed in the years to come.
Guest speaker Bruce Hallsor is a Victoria lawyer who has been involved in previous referendums on proportional representation. He is knowledgeable about the various types of proportional representation and can provide insight into the questions being asked in the 2018 referendum.
British Columbians have started receiving voting packages from Elections BC, and have until Nov. 30, 2018, to vote in the referendum.
Tue Nov 6 | 11:30 am-1:30 pm
The Chamber
100-852 Fort St.
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Therapeutic recovery the right step for safe community
its new Therapeutic Recovery Community in View Royal last week.
"This is a game changer for the region," says Chamber CEO Catherine Holt, who attended the opening.
This facility will have a direct benefit to Greater Victoria, and is a big step forward on The Chamber's advocacy priority: Safe Communities.
Everyone in Greater Victoria benefits from a healthy and vibrant downtown core. It is the hub of our region's tourism sector and major attraction for technology firms that want to be located in the energetic heart of the city. Flourishing restaurants, pubs, cafes and boutiques create a positive identity for the region. But we can't take any of it for granted.
Many cities have seen their downtowns hollowed out by crime and neglect as community leaders struggle to find solutions to an epidemic of drugs and economic disruptions.
Therapeutic recovery communities take a long-term approach, and have proven more effective than programs that temporarily incarcerate people or shuffle them between neighbourhoods.
Read More:
Our Place Society: member since 2010
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Delving into money laundering and its impact on BC
An article titled "The City That Had Too Much Money", published in Bloomberg Businessweek, highlights the challenges Vancouver and BC face regarding Chinese money laundering.
BC Attorney General David Eby's report on the gambling industry was one of the foundations of the article, stating 'large-scale, transnational money laundering has been occurring in our casinos' and warned that those funds are filtering further into the economy. Among its findings: For years the casino regulator's anti-money-laundering unit wasn't staffed during evenings and weekends. And until reforms kicked in earlier this year, rules requiring casinos to report suspicious customers had largely been treated as box-ticking exercises.
A trickle down economic effect of the money laundering is Vancouver's out-of-control real estate market. For example, Vancouver's median household income of about $61,000 compared to the price of a median house at $672,000 is stark. If you take a look at a more specific area like Eby's Point Grey riding, $57 million worth of real estate in his district had been purchased by students with no reported income.
Although mostly focused on the Vancouver area the article is a deep dive by an international business magazine into some of BC's most talked about and controversial issues. If you'd like to hear more about what the BC government is doing to curb these issues, come to our Business Leaders Luncheon featuring Attorney General David Eby on Wednesday, November 7.
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Falling back to Standard Time
Standard Time begins this Sunday, November 4 at 2 am. The switching between Standard Time and Daylight Saving Time always ruffles some feathers with many people saying they want to keep
Daylight Saving Time year round, so it'll be darker in the mornings, but lighter in the afternoon/evenings.
In Fall 2017, The Chamber conducted a mini poll on Facebook and 70% of people said they would support year round DST.
The BC Chamber of Commerce has an active policy advocating for year round DST. Their reasoning is it would reduce related workplace accidents, sleep deprivation, heart attacks, traffic accidents and boost tourism.
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Did you know Victoria is home to world-class cancer research?
Your tour will include a visit to the BC Cancer Deeley Research Centre where you will learn first-hand how BC is at the forefront of immunotherapy treatment development offering BC patients and families hope for the future.
BC Cancer Foundation - Vancouver Island
2410 Lee Av.
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Langford mayor says spec tax will cause job loss
Langford Mayor Stew Young has written a letter to the province asking for his community to be exempted from the speculation tax. Mayor Young shared the letter with the Chamber last week.
In the letter, Young says investment is leaving Langford, and he believes his community will see job losses within the next one to two years.
Part of the growth on the West Shore can be attributed to the sale of real estate to out-of-province investors, including properties on Bear Mountain. The influx of money has helped build the community and allowed the municipality to provide services and amenities to citizens. However, the Speculation and Vacancy Tax, discourages investment and hurts the local economy. The tactic won't result in those properties being used as affordable housing, which is the overarching goal of the legislation.
And, the mayor says Langford is actually a good example of a municipality that has had success with affordable housing. More than 7,500 new units have been built in the last 10 years.
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Members Around Town
Inn at Laurel Point named best employer
The Inn at Laurel Point has been named Tourism Vancouver Island's employer of the year, an award recognizing tourism businesses that embody best practices in employee management and operations. The hotel was the recipient of the 2018 Outstanding Workplace award at The Chamber's Greater Victoria Business Awards. Nominations are now open for 2019.
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Inn at Laurel Point: member since 1991
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Bear Mountain's new tennis bubble
This past Saturday the tennis bubble opened on four of the eight clay courts at
Bear Mountain Resort and Spa. As the bubble is Western Canada's largest indoor/outdoor red clay court tennis facility, Bear Mountain is hoping to attract
Tennis Canada's top young players to call the courts home.
The Bear's bubble will be deflated and put away each spring, allowing for outdoor play on all eight clay courts from May through September. In future, Bear Mountain hopes to add a second bubble, which would allow for all eight courts to be covered during the winter months.
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Bear Mountain Golf Resort & Spa: member since 2003
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One of Canada's best new restaurant is right here in Victoria
Nestled inside the Magnolia Hotel and Spa, The Courtney Room only just opened in April, but word is catching on fast. The fledging establishment was named one of Canada's 10 best new restaurants by enRoute, the in flight travel magazine from Air Canada. Congratulations!
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Air Canada: member since 1962
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Swan Lake boardwalk open
The Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary has opened its new steel and fiberglass boardwalk to the public. The boardwalk cuts across the northeastern corner of Swan Lake at a length of more than 300 metres - offering visitors excellent views of the local flora and fauna.
Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary: member since 2014
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Nominate Now for the 2019 Business Awards
Each week, The Chamber will profile a different award category, encouraging members to
nominate
a deserving Chamber member.
The
Outstanding Customer
Service
award
honours a business that:
- Demonstrates exceptional customer service;
- Serves as a role model, mentor or example of excellence to other businesses; and
- Exhibits a commitment to the community.
Know a business that deserves this award? Nominate them today!
Need some inspiration? Check out the videos of the 2018 Business Leadership finalists below.
Thanks to
Innov8 Digital Solutions
for sponsoring this award.
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Record-breaking toilet paper numbers
Prodigy Group put on
TP the Town Victoria with the help of many sponsors, volunteers and generous donors and raised almost
123,000 rolls of toilet paper - a record year.
The event took place
at 21 grocery stores across Greater Victoria - including Chamber members Thrifty Foods and Quality Foods.
All of the toilet paper donated was delivered to the Mustard Seed to be distributed to more than 40 communities across Vancouver Island for families in need.
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Mustard Seed: member since 1999
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Thrifty Foods: member since 1981
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Quality Foods: member since 2015
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110 Years of Success Stories
St. Margaret's School is hosting an Anniversary Tea to celebrate its 110th Anniversary. This special event features the inaugural SMS Emerging Leaders Award that highlights students that have gone on to great success. The featured alumnae include:
Jean Hsu, Scientist/Engineer
, SMS Class of 2011
Jean is a Scientist/Engineer at Kinectrics, a global leader in lifecycle management solutions for the electricity industry.
Katherine Evans, Actress
, SMS Class of 2015
Katherine received awards recognition for both of her first two television appearances: in AMC/Netflix's The Killing in 2011 and in BBC America's Intruders in 2014.
Kate Strachan, Mechanical Engineer,
SMS Class of 1995
In September, Lafarge Canada appointed Kate Strachan as Exshaw plant manager making her the first female plant manager at Canada's largest cement plant.
Karina Sihota, Government Relations
, SMS Class of 2004
In 2011, Karina joined the Canadian Labour Congress (ClC), the organization representing 3.3 million unionized workers in Canada. Her most recent role at CLC was National Representative, Women and Human Rights, focusing on issues around gender equality, discrimination and injustice in the work place.
St. Margaret's School: member since 2018
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Chamber Staff Halloween costume fun
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Destination Greater Victoria: member since 1988
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Welcome to Our Newest Members!
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Member to Member Deals
Want your company's special offer to appear here? Send us an email!
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